Ever since John McCain selected her as his running-mate, Sarah Palin has been amassing "a one-woman national media empire," says David Carr in The New York Times. But even as she's racked up two television shows, a top-selling book, and 1.5 million fans on Facebook, many in the "lamestream media" still can't see her you-betcha appeal. They should open their eyes. Here, an excerpt from the article:

"When Sarah Palin made her debut as the host of 'Real American Stories' on Fox News on Thursday night, she described several triumphs of regular people over insurmountable odds, but she missed an obvious one: her own.

"After her failed bid for the vice presidency, she was more or less told to head back to Alaska to serve out her term as governor — a kind of metaphorical kitchen.

"Instead, she quit her day job and proceeded to become a one-woman national media empire, with the ratings and lucre to show for it."